BajaNomad

Ay Caramba!

Skipjack Joe - 11-9-2007 at 01:41 PM

I suppose this story starts with a brief encounter I had with a fellow fisherman at Asuncion. He was heading home after his son had managed to step on a stingray at Coyote Estero. We stood in front of the hotel measuring one another as men often do and I remember thinking rather contemptuously that this was an obviously inexperienced baja traveler

Four days later we were on the salt flats of Laguna Bocana. The tide was receding nicely as I parked our rig next to a mangrove island with a deep channel on the far side that looked promising. The water was crystal clear. I waded thigh deep scouting out the likely sand flats for halibut. Meanwhile Alex pursued blue crabs with a landing net, hoping to catch dinner



The Crab Catcher


Having made a complete circle I returned to the vehicle and rigged us up for halibut. We worked our way along the roots of the mangroves to the main channel on the far side of the island. Casting Kastmasters into the current I managed to hook quite a few bonefish which were really thrilling on the light tackle.

Meanwhile Alex had managed to snag a butterfly ray in the wing which kept him occupied for quite some time. He wanted it photographed and so I made my way to shore, camera in hand. As we got it to shore I saw what appeared to be fountains of water shooting up from it’s head. We bent over to look more closely. What we saw was amazing. There was a large opening above each eyeball. With each breath the ray sucked in water from somewhere below and squirted it out through it’s eyes. The water shot straight up and to the side from each eye giving it a sinister, almost diabolical look.

Back to fishing. The water had really dropped by now and the small baylet we had traversed was now a mudflat all the way to the channel. Good!, I thought to myself. The fish should all be off the flats and concentrated in the channel. I remember shuffling along in the eelgrass (always shuffle – that scares the rays) wondering how effective that’s going to be as I was on top of the grass. Moving along and casting I hooked a nice flattie of about 8-10 lbs and managed to farm it during the landing. Moving further along I felt something wiggling under my sandals and instinctively jumped. Another ray, I told Alex. A few more steps and I’m on another ray. I jumped up and came down on yet another ray. This one really made me nervous. Again, I leaped with my right foot and, hoping to avoid contact, I tried to minimize my footprint by coming down with the heel. The foot slid down the sandals exposing the uncovered heel and I came down full force on still another ray.



Butterfly Ray



The pain, my friends, was unbelievable. It felt as though a sharp dagger had been thrust into me. This was followed by a tearing sensation. The poor beast had lodged it’s spine in me and was now trying to escape. I could sense the flapping of it’s wings as the barb tore flesh during this whole sequence of events. At this point in time I let out a scream and threw my rod into the water (rusted reel bearings be damned) which scared Alex half to death.

The pain did not diminish from the moment of impact. I could not tell whether the fish was still attached to me, or the spine was left in the heel, or whatever. Alex jumped up and screamed as well having stepped on one, but luckily it didn’t draw flesh. The pain was so great that I couldn’t put weight on that leg. I lay down on my side trying to see the cause of it all. The examination revealed nothing extraordinary but the pain remained unabated.

It was a good 200 yds to the truck. Limping on one leg I cursed and swore the entire way. What now? My mind raced trying to remember the posts on stingrays. Ah yes, it was coming back to me. I had to either pee on it or submerge it in boiling water. Pee on it? What kind of advice is that? I couldn’t do it even if I had to. I was in a mild state of shock for crissake. Then I rememberd: that’s for jellyfish.

We got back to the truck and Alex set the water to boil. After the water reached a temperature I could barely tolerate I placed my foot into the pot. No change. I took it out and back in several times without any change whatsoever. By now the side of my leg and the groin area started to feel numb. I wondered just what kind of toxins were in that barb. Then I noticed that the tip of my nose was also feeling numb. I concluded that it was probably just a mild state of shock I was experiencing.

The hell with home remedies, I thought, and decided to get professional help. In the ensuing confusion Alex packed the stove by grabbing the grate with his hands and burned his fingers badly. He needed ice right away or they would blister. “It’s nothing, dad”, he told me but I knew better.

We raced across the salt flats to Abreojos, my injured foot on the accelerator pedal. I grit my teeth and clenched the steering wheel periodically to deal with the mounting pain.

You’re soft, you old fool – I told myself. Your cushy desk job has made you soft. Where’s that legendary pain tolerance of your forefathers? Look, your 11 year old son shows more courage and dignity than you. Suck it up, for goshsakes!

Several well placed questions a Abreojos got us to the clinic. Using my left leg and right toes I limped into the office and proceeded to lay on the table. The doctor came in, stinking of gin (sorry amigos. Four solid weeks of repeated Beatle songs has taken it’s toll on me) and, after exchanging pleasantries, was told I’d need one shot in the foot, another in the gluteus maximus (“culo” – was an inaccurate term, he said), and some pills. Ninny that I am, I asked him if the shots will hurt. A lot less than the sting, was the answer. Alex later recalled that he lifted the loose flesh and inserted the needle into the opening. I felt a mild sting.



A Sore Foot



Ahhhh! Miraculously, the relief was almost instantaneous. Within a minute all the pain was virtually gone.

I told the doctor about Alex’s burn and asked him for ice. The man examined his hand, gave him some pills, and assured me that his skin would be fine. Within hours the blister started to appear. The skin died in the next few days of second degree burns.

I was so overjoyed at the relief that I paid the doctor twice what he charged. He led us to a motel where I convalesced for a day, watching TV, sleeping, and reading a book about Frederick the Great which I found on the shelf.

Gradually I relaxed and a peculiar smile slowly spread across my face. “Thank you, baja”, I thought to myself, “Once again, thank you.”

A bit later, “ Should I tell them about this? Will they understand?”, I asked. “They’ll think you’re mad.”, came the response.


The End

Natalie Ann - 11-9-2007 at 02:34 PM

Always knew those stingrays could be real painful - but never understood how much so until now. Hope to never meet up with one.

This is an excellent story, Igor, and I love the final words.
You and Alex have some good Baja adventures together - and this is another you'll always remember. I had to laugh at your Beatles remark - brought a good visual of you after a month of listening to Rocky Raccoon, et al. That photo of Alex - The Crab Catcher - is priceless!

Thank you much for sharing this unusual adventure with us.

Nena

Paulina - 11-9-2007 at 04:17 PM

Great story! I give you huge credit for being able to hold it all together while being in such pain. You are a good model for your son.
I'm glad you shared this experience with us. I've never been hit, but my turn is coming someday:O.

P<*)))><

bajajudy - 11-9-2007 at 04:21 PM

Whew
Glad that you survived, if only barely!
The trick with the hot water works but is not instantaneous. It usually takes over an hour for the pain to subside and you have to leave your foot submerged, only taking it out to take cool water out and add more hot water. It sounds like you really got the barb in deep.
Your story reminds me once again that the difference between an ordeal and an adventure is attitude....you rock!

Hook - 11-9-2007 at 04:37 PM

Great story.

Just one question.....................what was so great about Frederick the Great?

OUCH!

BMG - 11-9-2007 at 04:58 PM

I can agree that it is indeed painful getting barbed by a stingray. I was fishing in the shallow water on the other side of the Sea when I plopped down on one. He nailed me between my toes. Jumping straight up in water isn't that easy but I did a pretty good high jump. Unfortunately, my timing wasn't so great because I landed on him again as he was trying to flee. By then he may have had more time to plan his next thrust as he got me in the ankle on the other foot.

I didn't toss my pole, instead I used it as a probe in front of me to drive off any more rays (and to keep my balance) as I hobbled/trotted to shore. My father-in-law said, "Esteep" (after 30+ years of being his son-in-law, he still can't pronounce Steve.) "Pee on it!' Me, "NO." Him, "Let me pee on it!!" Me, "Hell, no." I was glad to know that I could still laugh while in agony.

The next 45 minutes or so were painful. I was sure amputation was the only solution. Then after a couple of Advils and a few Pacificos, the pain vanished. It was still a little painful to touch and a little swollen but I could live with that. I did keep up the Pacifico medication a bit longer.

I do find it an embarrassment today to tell the story and then have to show the itsy-bitsy scar on my ankle (none on my toes.) Even my photos of the incident make it look no worse than an inflamed pimple. While I am not glad that Skipjack went through the same ordeal, I am happy that we both survived and agree in the re-telling about the horrific pain we endured. From now on, it's shuffle-shuffle-shuffle, not step-step-step.

Skipjack Joe - 11-9-2007 at 05:18 PM

Thanks, soulpatch. I was afraid this story would invite people to accuse me of being a thoughtless parent.

Hook, it was the army he put together. Apparently the miliary units were much looser until he came along. The way units now 'move as one' was something he drilled his men to be like. All that precise and synchronous saluting and marching that men are trained the world over in boot camp seem to have their roots in Frederick the Great (actually his father).

Stingray stings are real common in baja. This report says 1500/yr. Hard to believe. The motel manager at Abreojos had been hit 3 times and showed me her scars. I'm surprised nobody has ever reported anything like this on nomads. It's nothing to brag about, I guess.

http://www.clubcruceros.org/StingrayInjuries.html

Thank you for the link, Natalie Ann. It's very informative.

Neal Johns - 11-9-2007 at 06:17 PM

Now you know why I am an Aridologist! Ouch. :(:(:(

Osprey - 11-9-2007 at 06:44 PM

The barb is covered by a thin sheath that stays behind. Our local doc hits you with a very large tetinus shot in the butt no matter who you are, what the wound looks like, what your story is about "I just got a shot last month" thing. He has told me privately what he has seen after tetinus does it's thing. I do not believe in the shuffle thing because I've seen so many people with wounds on the ankle sometimes caused after the shuffle, the touch, the contact in or on the soft sand at the shore. You're a great dad Igor and you'll weather many more punctures, scrapes and tears and always come out a winner.

amir - 11-9-2007 at 09:23 PM

Great story, and the title IS perfect: Ay Caramba!

bajaboolie - 11-10-2007 at 08:13 PM

Wow, I was mesmerized! Thanks for sharing...interesting to hear a first hand account!

bajadogs - 11-10-2007 at 09:12 PM

Shuffling feet is an asnswer, but when you dive head first and swim out a bit, then come back to shore, your foot has to come down somewhere. After being nailed by a stingray I expect them to be under my feet all the time. Skipjack, I know that pain, it changes you.

When I was nailed I boiled my foot, took 4 children's motrin and 2 coronas. I woke up 2 hours later burning in the 104 degree sunshine with waves lapping at my feet. Your description of the pain is right on. It was like an electric, rusty nail being pushed into me and it got worse from there!

I'm glad it wasn't your boy who was nailed.

Paula - 11-10-2007 at 09:21 PM

Igor, that was a great story!! And there is no remedy for pain as sure as turning it into a funny adventure, and finding all the sweetness of it. The thing I missed, even in skimming back through, is why the band-aid on Alex's upper lip?

And of course you know that all of this pain could have been avoided if you'd just gone riding in San Fancisco de la Sierra-- no danger in being on a mule on the edge of a cliff:lol:

Skipjack Joe - 11-10-2007 at 11:03 PM

Whistler, I think the motel owner told me about the surfer you mentioned. She said he kind of shrugged it off and didn't really follow the doc's advise. And no infection.

I've had my eye on those Marlwalkers for some time now and perhaps now is the time to finally get one. I used to wade with Hodgman's a long time ago for this very reason. I don't remember why I stopped.

BTW the motel lady knows you well and had good things to say. I knew you were out of town and didn't try looking you up.

Paula, the bandaid moustache isn't part of the story but it was taken at the motel. Hamming it up. He can't wait to get body hair. He proudly displayed his first pimple last week. I don't remember being particularly proud of that in my day.

Yes, I was really grateful it happened to me instead of him. I actually thought of that right after it happened. We both had sandals with really thick rubber on bottom and sides that was impermeable to a stinger. I thought that I was stung because I stepped down heel first as in the story but the motel lady showed me her scars on top of her foot where the ankle meets the foot. No sandal could protect you from that.

The injured area bled the first night. After that a red area appeared around the wound that stayed for about three weeks. Some of the flesh inside died and was replaced. All as the doctor had predicted.

What did I learn? I've stepped on hundrds of those small rays over the years. They're all over the bottom at San Lucas Cove. There's a small wiggle underfoot and they're gone. After a while I started to wonder whether they had any stingers at all. Perhaps they were a different type, I thought. Now I know better.

One last thing. I wasn't putting on a happy face on a tragedy. I really believe what I wrote. My years of baja travel has convinced me that this is the best it has to offer. I'm not going to try to convince anyone of that, however.

[Edited on 11-11-2007 by Skipjack Joe]

Osprey - 11-11-2007 at 08:07 AM

I sometimes walk the shallows here looking for halibut. I also snorkle that same area -- I'm now sure that many of the things I think are the dangerous bullseye rays are often lizard fish and tiger eels, both squirmy, quick and harmless. Our local net fishermen (the hated pirates) cause a problem here -- they clean their haul right at the water's edge, discard the carcasses that attract hundreds of rays and other fish -- it's also our swimming beach, our boat launch area.

shari - 11-11-2007 at 11:43 AM

Stingrays are the scourge of baja, one of the really unfortunate owies that are common. This IS an important topic especially for newbies because they unknowingly run into the water at places like BOLA and get hurt, sometimes ruining their holidays. Mi esposo Juan ALWAYS stnds at the waters edge and watches, then slowly wades in shuffling watching for these diabolic critters and sometimes dunks his head underwater with a snorkel to see if he sees any of those telltale eyes protruding from the sand...then and only then, when he is sure there aren't any, he gives me the all clear to come in. This is one of my favorite things about the Asuncon area...because no one is allowed to clean fish or dump spent caracol shells at the beaches, they are generally free of stingrays. whew...but they can be anywhere. One must be extremely careful. Look before you leap!

Barry A. - 11-12-2007 at 12:02 AM

Been swimming in Baja, both on the Pacific and Cortez side, for over 50 years and the shuffle method has ALWAYS worked for me----never been hit (yet)

But, keep your eyes open, like Shari says, and watch for the buggers before you take your next step-----they don't always take off when you shuffle.

Skipjack Joe - 11-12-2007 at 11:54 AM

There are parts of baja that are far more dangerous than others. All the lagoons from Mag Bay to Pt Eugenia are loaded with stingrays. For some reason Laguna Manuela seems to have far less.

The shuffle really helps a lot, I think. But I wouldn't rely on it completely in the above waters. It's not that it doesn't work. It's just that things happen. You loose your balance and stumble to recover. You need to step over a clump of eelgrass. A boat comes by and you decide you don't want to be wet up to your neck and jump up.

I doubt if anyone could fish those water for even 5 years using the shuffle technique without getting hit. Very few people fish that water wading. The pangueros just wade deep enough to launch and they're off.

wsdunc - 11-12-2007 at 01:27 PM

Summer of 2003 I camped at Punta Chivato with my wife and the boys (and a boy cousin). This meant me and 5 folks that had never been to Baja before. But they knew I had a lot of Baja experience and trusted me to lead them. When we arrived at Punta Chivato it was obvious there were LOTS of rays around. I am not sure if it was some kind of spawning behaviour, but there were literally hundreds (thousands?) of rays. They lay in a blanket starting 2 feet from shore and ending maybe 15 ft from shore, Just shuffling out would send at least 6 or 8 scurrying away. It was really an amzing sight. I told veryone in the party about the problem, and showed them how to shuffle out, how to look out for the rays etc. I also said that it was a sure thing that someone was going to get spined during our trip. Well you know how it goes, a few days later I was wading out with my youngest son, mask and fins in hand. It is possible that I wasn't paying much attention, because WHAM, I stepped on a ray who retaliated by spining me in the top of the foot. To this day my wife and son say this happened because I was watching the college age gringas next to us swimming and sunbathing topless.
I hopped to the beach, cussing not so quietly under my breath. But hot water and time fixed things up pretty well, although the spot probably stayed sore for a month. But I was never too worried about it.
On the other hand, while camping on an isolated east cape beach in the 90s I snorkled through the tentacles of one of the small blue floating jellyfish. These tentacles will light you right up! I made it to shore, but the pain was remarkable. I wasn't sure if I was going to go into shock and die or what, but it was enough to worry me. I figure we were at least 2 hours from a town with a doctor, and probably more than 4 from a hospital. Well since I'm writing this obviously the pain went away after a few hours. I was interested enough to learn what to do about jellyfish stings, so when my wife was stung a few years later we wiped of the poison sacs left on her, got some vineager and made her better pretty quickly, although she did have lips like Angelina Jolie for a while.
But given the choice between a sting ray spine in the foot, and a serious brush with a jellyfish, I say take the spine. In my experience it doesn't hurt nearly as much.
I assume that the Crocodile Hunter would disagree with this position.

vandenberg - 11-12-2007 at 02:01 PM

Ammonia, vinegar and pee. Best antidote against jelly fish stings and in that order.:biggrin:

Osprey - 11-12-2007 at 07:07 PM

Just don't forget to FIRST WHIP OUT YOUR CREDIT CARD AND SCRAPE OFF THE STINGING CELLS!!!!!!!! If you leave em on your skin they are still putting out poison for hours and hours (especially in your hair or body hair).

Stingrays

awfulart - 11-13-2007 at 07:47 AM

What an experience but most helpful info. What about dogs running in the water where there might be stingrays? Anyone had experience with that situation? :?:

BajaWarrior - 11-13-2007 at 04:55 PM

Great story Skipjack Joe. I have felt your pain. We have them big time below San Felipe right in front of our house and in the lagoon just to the north of house.

But I got hit by a Sting Ray at Punta Gringa in L.A. Bay years ago and the hot water worked. We kept an old coffee pot full of water on our camp stove ready for action, which turned out this time I needed.

After many hot water pourings and a couple of camp Margaritas and two hours having gone by, I put some Ointment on it, put on a bandage, socks and shoes and we went for a quad ride back into town for tacos.

In my case, the hot water worked.

I felt your pain though...Ouch!

baitcast - 11-14-2007 at 09:30 AM

What a great read,Igor your a great teller of tails,sometime you and I must spend sometime sitting around a fire and tell each other sea stories and fishing tails.
No question to clean fish on the beach with no birds to clean up is to invite these guys up close and personal.

Again what a great read from all,some funny stuff:lol:

[Edited on 11-14-2007 by baitcast]

Sunman - 11-14-2007 at 09:40 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by awfulart
What an experience but most helpful info. What about dogs running in the water where there might be stingrays? Anyone had experience with that situation? :?:


I second this question about dogs...anybody?

Skipjack Joe - 11-14-2007 at 10:02 AM

Glad you enjoyed it, baitcast. Yeah, those pangueros never clean their fish where they launch their boats for this very reason.

Yes, we should get together and share fish stories. They say hunters and fishermen are the biggest liars there are (well, after the politicians, that is). The only one who really likes my tales are my kids. I, too, thought my dad was the best story teller there was.

The thread seems to work on several levels. As a true story (I wrote down exactly as it happened, even the ending). A warning of a danger that doesn't getting get its due. An opportunity for others to share in telling their story and how they dealt with it.

Paulina - 11-14-2007 at 10:36 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Sunman
Quote:
Originally posted by awfulart
What an experience but most helpful info. What about dogs running in the water where there might be stingrays? Anyone had experience with that situation? :?:


I second this question about dogs...anybody?


This was a problem for us. Our English Mastiff Rhubarb was constantly chasing them at the shoreline. No matter how much I'd scold him, he would be back at it again. He never got hit.

Our Bullmastiff Rosie on the other hand never asked for trouble and she stepped on one quite by accident. It wasn't a bad hit, barely got her, but she was in pain. I soaked her paw in hot water for what seemed like a long time. It was difficult to hold her foot into the pan. Then I coated it with Adolph's meat tenderizer. She ended up eating most of the seasoning off each time it was reapplied. She limped for a while.

Rosie just had the dumb luck because she is the one that ate a dead puffer fish as well. Good thing she was a pig and swallowed it whole, because she threw it back up then slept for 2 days straight.

That was not a good trip for her that spring.

P<*)))><

Ammonia

Al G - 11-14-2007 at 11:07 AM

I carry 2 gallon for this, but is it the best thing to do? On other threads it seemed to be. Is this shot Igor had, available as a first-aid item? (I have no problem with giving myself a shot)...Suspect it is Novocaine(sp) Can we find out what it is? I would still go to a doctor as soon as I can, but would like to avoid longer term pain...and especially for children.

Diver - 11-14-2007 at 11:16 AM

You can buy 5% Xylocaine ointments online from Canada without prescription.
This helps but not as good as the shots.
I would consult you doctor and ask for a syringe in a dosage that he recommends.
You will need a scrip to be safe taking it into Mexico.
Dosage for some folks and children is less than others.
Also, get the stuff without epinephrine - avoid the rushng heartbeat.

.

Sunman - 11-14-2007 at 11:21 AM

Thanks Paulina. I wonder if a stronger hit could be more danergous for a normal hound? I'm sure your big honkin mastiff could absorb a sting much better than say the average lab.

Al G - 11-14-2007 at 11:30 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Diver
You can buy 5% Xylocaine ointments online from Canada without prescription.
This helps but not as good as the shots.
I would consult you doctor and ask for a syringe in a dosage that he recommends.
You will need a scrip to be safe taking it into Mexico.
Dosage for some folks and children is less than others.
Also, get the stuff without epinephrine - avoid the rushng heartbeat.

.


Diver... do you think a syringe...without needle...with ammonia, sprayed into wound would be effective at cleaning the sheve deposit out?

Skipjack Joe - 11-14-2007 at 12:06 PM

Al,

I don't exactly know what he injected into the wound. I thought it was an antivenom drug of some sort. But the language barrier was so great that I can't be sure. He also washed the wound prior to the shot by shooting up some liquid in there. He knew what he was doing, that was for sure. He must have done it numerous times. Almost immediately after the shot he asked me if the pain had ceased. I didn't think it could be that fast but realized that it was almost completely gone. The pain was gone and there was only mild discomfort left. The heel itched for about 3 weeks. I was wade fishing again in 3 days.

The shot in the cheek was some antibiotic I believe and was for possible infection.

A small sidenote to all this. A day later we were sitting at campo rene enjoying a few sodas when a boat came up to us in the shallow lagoon. We had been watching the mullet jump and the stingrays patrolling the shoreline.The barefoot passengers just leaped off deck onto the bottom to tie up the boat and wade to shore. I just winced, knowing it's just a numbers game.

As an earlier poster stated, you only need to learn this lesson once.

k-rico - 2-16-2010 at 04:00 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by soulpatch
I am surprised that with the flexibility and weight issues that there is not a Kevlar booty out there for this kind of stuff. If there were my wife would have be buy them in a nanosecond for my kids.


I think you can buy surfer booties for the whole family at any large surf shop. They'll provide a lot of protection from rays and all sorts of underwater/shoreline sharp objects. Get the ones with a big toe in them, you'll have much more agility walking around.

torch - 2-16-2010 at 08:46 AM

I can remember running (freaked out) after steping on a ray in 1 foot of water only to step on probably a dozen more on the way to shore. I didnt get hit, but very vivid memory. bay of L.A. 1976

David K - 2-16-2010 at 08:55 AM

Sorry for the pain you experienced... Makes a great story, however!

Thank you for sharing.

marv sherrill - 2-16-2010 at 06:40 PM

Having been hit by stingrays 4 times, I'm used to it - just some hot water (and cerveza) and all is well - I had a neighbor who swore that a tazer zap would intantaneously solve the problem - he had one, but I chickened out - anybody else heard of this???? ( cure worse than the injury..)

Skipjack Joe - 2-16-2010 at 07:18 PM

I don't know about your cure, Marv. It reminded me of the Chinese practice of 'foot clapping'. Basically, as I understand it, you slap the soles of your feet vigorously every night to the point of redness and it's somehow supposed to make you healthier. To me the idea is to draw your attention from one source of pain to another, thus rendering the lesser pain insignificant.
Quote:

Chi Kung Master Huang Runtian, writing in “Treasured Qigong of Traditional Medical School,” states that this “Foot Tapping Technique” …”can nourish the liver and improve eyesight; curing chronic diseases of the liver, gall bladder and eyesight diseases (near-sighted, far-sighted, and poor-sighted).”

“As a result of conscientious practicing of the Qigong exercise, the liver-wood nourished by sufficient kidney-water and abundant “earth Qi” would be full of vigor and vitality. Thus the Qigong can nourish the liver and make eyes clear.”

“Frequency and duration of exercise.” Slap or clap your feet 50-100 times. For health protection, once a day before going to bed.”



But I could be wrong. Will have to try the taser tag idea.

P.S., and of course, the proof:
Quote:

While visiting Zen-Taoist Master Hyunoong Sunim, in Washington State several years ago, I was awakened early one morning by a loud clapping. I found out later that he was slapping his foot. I tested his eyesight a few years later, and found that he has better than 20-20 vision–his eyesight is 40-10–much better than 20-20. He can see and read the 10 foot Snellen Eye Chart at 40 feet away without glasses or contacts!



[Edited on 2-17-2010 by Skipjack Joe]

Udo - 2-16-2010 at 08:02 PM

One of the dive shops in Riverside, Ca. (probably all dive shops have them),
carry a very heavy-duty booty.
They were about $60.00 per pair.
I think we will invest in a couple of them when beach-combing in Baja

Ken Bondy - 2-16-2010 at 08:13 PM

Sorry Igor, sounds like a horrible experience. My worst stingray experience took a little different twist, so to speak. I was surfing at Malibu (late 50s), stepped squarely on one, and got hit bad on the arch of my right foot. Intense, instant agonizing pain. Nobody knew much about remedies at that time (Adolfs, hot water, peeing, etc.), so I just laid down on my towel on the beach and sucked it up (I think I rubbed sand on it). As I was sucking it up, I noticed red streaks emanating from the wound and heading up the inside of my right leg. Heading right for.....well, my crotch. The red streaks, and the pain, got there in a few minutes and for a while I had gigantic, incredibly painful....well, cojones. I never knew that could happen, still haven't heard anyone else who has experienced that. Eventually, like all things, the pain passed and I went back to being a teenager.

torch - 2-16-2010 at 09:46 PM

ahhh yes tazer treatment

Skipjack Joe - 2-17-2010 at 08:02 PM

Soulpatch,
I searched the web for anything suitable but found nothing most people would like to wear to the beach (Rayguard kept coming up). A kevlar stocking sounds great to me.
Quote:

A person stung by a stingray may show weakness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, dizziness, rapid heart rate, headache, fainting, seizures, groin and armpit pain, muscle cramps and quivering, generalized swelling, paralysis, low blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, and on rare occasion may die. The paralysis may represent spastic muscle contractions induced by pain, which are a tremendous hazard for a diver or swimmer.

Pain control should be initiated during the first soaking period. If the pain is severe and persistent, a physician may need to administer narcotics, inject the wound with a local anesthetic, or apply a nerve block. If the wound is more than very minor, the treating doctor may administer an antibiotic, then observe the victim for a few hours in order to detect any deterioration in the person’s condition. The doctor may also order x-rays or special imaging studies, such as an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), to locate any suspected retained pieces of spine.


Ken Bondy,
It appears that you aren't the only one that has felt pain in the groin after being hit by a stingray.

After finding the above article on the internet I'm pretty sure that the physician at Abreojos basically injected local anesthesia into the wound and not anti venom serum as I had thought. Everyone seems to agree that hot water breaks down the venom. Antibiotics may be good to have around to prevent further infection. I now remember taking them for about a week after the accident. A pain killer could really make it way more bearable. But I guess that's what the cerveza's for. :lol:

BTW, Steve Irwin seems to have died from blood loss as he chose to have the spine removed from his heart after that bad accident. It left a gaping hole. The experts are now second guessing that he should have left it in and taken his chances with the venom.

k-rico - 2-17-2010 at 09:38 PM

I always say to myself "oh no I can't watch" when I see folks letting their little kids splash around in the shallow water. I can't imagine the terror a child would feel getting stabbed by one of those things.

Surf booties - they make little ones for little feet. If you don't have them stop in any of the San Diego county beach towns, go to a surf shop and buy some.

A good pain killer should be in any first aid kit. Tramadol is over the counter in Mexico. Much stronger than any over the counter stuff in the states. Google it for dosage instructions.

Hot water does break down the toxin. Soap and water to wash the wound followed by hydrogen peroxide or iodine to disinfect and the after a while some antibiotic ointment and a good bandage to keep the wound clean.

If it's a deep puncture you need a professional to clean the wound and give instructions for subsequent care. The bacteria covering the stinger will be deep down and things could get nasty.



[Edited on 2-18-2010 by k-rico]